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Bates to lead revamped squad in South Africa

Sara McGlashan and Anna Paterson dropped keeping in mind the 2017 ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup, while Liz Perry has a should injury

New Zealand Cricket (NZC) on Friday (August 19) announced a 15-member women’s squad to be led by Suzie Bates for the tour of South Africa for seven One-Day Internationals in October.

Three players, who were part of the 12-member New Zealand Women side that last played an ODI series – in November last year, when they beat Sri Lanka Women 5-0 at home – have been dropped: Sara McGlashan, Liz Perry and Anna Peterson. Added to the side were Sam Curtis, Holly Huddleston, Katey Martin, Thamsyn Newton and Katie Perkins.

Apart from Perry, the middle-order batter, the 14 other cricketers, who recently received new contracts under a new Memorandum of Understanding between New Zealand Cricket and the New Zealand Cricket Players’ Association, have made it to the squad.

Perry missed the cut because of a shoulder injury but, according to a statement from NZC, was likely to be back in the frame for next summer.

Curtis, the opening batter, and Huddleston, the right-arm medium pacer, have earned recalls for the first time since New Zealand's tour of the West Indies in September 2014.

Haidee Tiffen, the team coach, said the two players had earned their berths after impressive outings during the off-season. “They’ve worked hard for their recalls,” she said. “Sam wasn’t selected at all last summer but offers us useful top-order batting and spin-bowling value, and Holly’s swing bowling is something we see as beneficial to our goal of hitting the ground running at next year’s Women’s Cricket World Cup in England.”

Huddleston, the right-arm medium pacer, has earned a recall for the first time since New Zealand's tour of the West Indies in September 2014

New Zealand are scheduled to play 18 ODIs and four Twenty20 Internationals between now and the start of the 2017 ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup, which Tiffen pointed out as a reason not to select McGlashan and Peterson for the upcoming tour.

Neither player has been offered a contract for 2016-17 either.

“With the World Cup on the horizon, we’ve selected both the touring squad and those to be offered annual contracts on the basis of our ODI performance in particular, and in this regard, some players have clearly been unlucky,” said Tiffen, pointing out that the current squad was a balanced one, with up to five spin-bowling options, a number of pacers, and a solid batting unit.

Bates and Co. are going to assemble for a pre-tour camp in Tauranga in September before heading to South Africa for the seven matches, the first three of which will carry points for the ICC International Women’s Championship.